A Marshall County collision on April 17, 2017 between a cattle truck and a motorcyclist (he died) reminds us this is the season for driving hypervigilant while watching from what might not be obvious. We don’t know in this accident if the motorcyclist had his front headlight on or not. I’m sure that would help and may have saved his life. We don’t know, but it couldn’t have hurt.

According the Iowa State Patrol report here is the description:

A SEMI HAULING LIVE STOCK WAS SB ON HWY 14 PREPARING TO TURN LEFT ON MARION ST TO MAKE A DELIVERY TO JBS IN MARSHALLTOWN-UPON INITIATING A LEFT TURN THE SEMI STRUCK A MOTORCYCLE THAT WAS NB ON HWY 14-THE DRIVER OF THE MC WAS WEARING A HELMET BUT WAS DECEASED ON SCENE-THE SEMI DRIVER WAS UNINJURED-

According to this description the motorcyclist has the very least amount of fault and with the proper instructions his heirs shouldn’t have a problem with receiving insurance. Fault if any, will be minimal.

The report states Gary Robert Johnson (age 63) from Gladbrook, Iowa was driving on Highway 14 at the Marion Street intersection when a 2004 Peterbilt semi-truck turned left of center to turn and make a delivery at JBS in Marshalltown. Johnson was heading northbound and Reid Thomas Gerhardt from Fairmont, Minnesota (age 24) was heading south and turning east.

I’m did some work in the Gladbrook area while in law school. I worked on a construction crew that was busy building seed drying bins for Pioneer. We used to eat at a corner diner. Katrina and I had depositions in Waterloo several months ago and stopped to eat lunch there. I believe it was Spanky’s on 2nd Street. Anyway’s the food was good.

As always, if you have questions about the things we write about, then call to discuss having us handle your case.

Additional articles about how to avoid problems with your wrongful death claim.